Talarico challenges ‘Low T’ Paxton to debate

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico challenged his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), to a debate hosted by TMZ, renewing his calls for the Republican to face him ahead of the November election.

In an interview with TMZ, Talarico said Paxton has repeatedly ignored his invitations to debate him and suggested the entertainment news outlet host a debate between the two after learning one of its reporters had recently pressed Paxton about his reluctance to debate.

“Ken Paxton has refused to debate and that’s pretty low-T behavior in my book,” Talarico said, referencing Paxton’s “Low-T Talarico” insult on his masculinity in an attack ad.

Paxton on Wednesday told a TMZ reporter he would be open to a debate but didn’t “want to end up with the CNN reporter covering the debate.”

“Maybe TMZ should host this debate,” Talarico said, saying the outlet can “get a hold of Ken Paxton easier than most journalists do.”

Talarico pushed back on Paxton’s conditions for the debate, telling TMZ that he had also extended the offer to host the debate on more conservative-leaning outlets such as Fox News.

Paxton has not agreed to debate Talarico, despite the repeated public challenges from his Democratic opponent.

The latest exchange comes as the two candidates face off in a competitive race for the Senate seat held by Sen. John Cornyn (R), whom Paxton defeated in a primary runoff earlier this year with an endorsement from President Trump.

Trump has placed the blame on Cornyn and other Republicans for making the general election seemingly more difficult for the state attorney general in the deep-red state.

Cornyn warned that Paxton’s several scandals could be an issue for Republicans, saying the attorney general “endangers the seat as the nominee.”

Trump stood by his endorsee, calling out Cornyn and conservative strategist Karl Rove for not doing enough to support Paxton.

“John Cornyn, and his Liddle’ Buddy, Super RINO, Karl Rove, are doing everything possible to make it hard for Ken Paxton, the Greatest Attorney General in the History of Texas, and one of the Best in the United States, to win the upcoming Midterm Election against a Radical Left Lunatic,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.